Reviews

A rehash, but still an excellent outline of what was to come. The central idea that an uncivilized person—a barbarian—would be coarse but quick-witted and powerful is one of the oldest in civilization. In The Epic of Gilgamesh (ca. 2100–1100 BCE), Enkidu says: “one born in the wild is mighty, strength he possesses.” The image of King Conan in this story combines Enkidu with the young Gilgamesh, a likewise incompetent king. Howard’s monster, though more powerful than one of Tolkien’s orcs, can still be defeated with violence, like those in the epic.

This crucial point in the career of Conan the Cimmerian gets him noticed in high circles and associated with Mitra, explicitly leading to his becoming king—and penetrating a mystery of Mitra’s cult—in the first story about the character. This upswing, together with the epic plot, provides a greater sense of societal momentum than is customary in Howard.

Jon and Al Kaplan’s musical version comes weirdly close to explaining why I like this film. The script went through many revisions, inspired by a series of the original short stories and other fantasy fiction. “The Tower of the Elephant” is merely the oldest story whose influence can clearly be seen in the version actually filmed. Alas, the crucifixion from “A Witch Shall Be Born” (1934) is also in here.

The crucifixion doesn’t seem to support the character. In the best stories he survives by his wariness, bravery, cunning and explosiveness, none of which are the qualities that get him safely off the cross. Here he’s just Christ, a superhero holding all the cards.

I read the draft published in The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle.

Commentary

Conan’s barely in it. An example of the unfortunate tendency to emphasize the childlike mental and physical traits of the idealized, sexually objectified women of Conan’s universe. Appropriate to this, the last line implies a protective love, like moe.

A strange one: A lurid sexual theme in lyrical language, focalized by the would-be victim, eventually punctured by the “barbarian” protagonist taking a clear stance against non-consensual sex and calling the whole thing off. The bat-like monster is a tiny bit more Lovecraftian than the norm for Howard, but aside from the “soulless joy” of its worshippers, it’s no more scary.